In many sensor applications, sensors and other devices must be precisely oriented and stabilized at the selected orientation for proper operation. This application makes particular reference to magnetometer sensors, but the apparatus described has wide applicability to the precision orientation and stabilization of many other types of devices, including, for example, accelerometers, inclinometers, pressure transducers, load cells, displacement transducers, linear variable displacement transformers and ring laser motion sensors.
Magnetometer applications include mapping the magnetic fields and discriminating magnetic signatures associated with planets, ore bodies, vehicles, submarines, mines and buried unexploded ordnance. These applications require gradiometers, magnetometer sensor arrays, and/or multi-axis magnetometer sensors to obtain sufficient magnetic field data. For multi-sensor applications, measured magnetic field data is only accurate to the degree that the orientation of each sensor is known or to the degree that each sensor can be precisely oriented and stabilized in a predetermined orientation. With other types of sensors it is likewise important to know and to be able to adjust accurately the sensor orientation.
One known mechanism for orienting sensors is a gimbal mounting the sensor, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the sensor orientation in the gimbal and holding the gimbal in an adjusted position. The adjusting mechanisms used in the past have not, in practice, provided exceptional accuracy of adjustment or stability. The best of the prior art apparatus known to the applicant is only capable of orienting and stabilizing a sensor to within 0.1 degree of arc. The aim of the present invention is to provide a precision alignment apparatus with considerably improved accuracy.